Washington D.C. | M10 News Original Report
The US Supreme Court has rejected an appeal request from Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite and former partner of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, effectively upholding her 20-year prison sentence.
Maxwell’s Appeal Dismissed Without Explanation
The nine justices declined to hear Maxwell’s case, leaving in place her 2021 conviction for sex trafficking and related crimes.
As is customary, the court offered no explanation for its decision.
Maxwell’s legal team had argued that she should never have been prosecuted, citing a 2007 non-prosecution agreement between Epstein and federal prosecutors in Miami, which they claimed granted immunity to his “potential co-conspirators.”
However, both the Manhattan federal court and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals previously ruled that the prosecution was lawful.
Convicted for Trafficking Teenage Girls
Maxwell, 62, was convicted in December 2021 for her role in recruiting and grooming teenage girls for Epstein, who sexually abused them between 1994 and 2004.
She was sentenced to 20 years in prison in June 2022.
Lawyers ‘Deeply Disappointed’
In a statement following the Supreme Court’s decision, Maxwell’s attorney David Oscar Markus said the defence was “deeply disappointed” but vowed to continue fighting.
“This fight isn’t over,” Markus said, insisting there remain “serious legal and factual issues” in the case.
He did not elaborate on what the next legal steps might be.
Trump Administration Urged Court to Reject Appeal
According to court filings, President Donald Trump’s administration had urged the Supreme Court not to take up the case, drawing renewed criticism over its handling of the Epstein affair.
The administration also continues to face condemnation for refusing to release all files related to Epstein’s activities and associates.
Maxwell Transferred to Texas Prison Camp
Maxwell was moved earlier this year from a low-security prison in Florida to a minimum-security facility in Texas, where she has been serving her sentence.
The transfer followed a July interview with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, during which she was granted limited immunity — allowing her to speak freely unless she provided false statements.
Records from that interview show she denied witnessing any sexually inappropriate behaviour involving Donald Trump, comments that observers say were aimed at distancing the former president from Epstein’s crimes.
Background: Epstein’s Death and Aftermath
Epstein was arrested in 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges, accused of sexually abusing dozens of underage girls.
He was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell one month later, in what officials ruled a suicide — though conspiracy theories persist.
Survivors Condemn Maxwell’s Prison Transfer
Survivors and family members of Epstein’s victims criticised Maxwell’s transfer to a lower-security facility, calling it an “insult” to those she harmed.
The family of Virginia Giuffre, who died in April, joined sisters Annie and Maria Farmer in issuing a joint statement describing Maxwell as a “sexual predator who physically assaulted minor children.”
“This transfer smacks of a cover-up,” the statement read. “The victims deserve better.”
Justice Department Closes Epstein File
In July, the US Justice Department confirmed it would not release any additional documents from the Epstein investigation, reaffirming that the financier died by suicide.
Officials also dismissed claims that a so-called “client list” existed, despite earlier suggestions by Attorney General Pam Bondi that such a document was in her possession.
“There is no list,” a Justice Department spokesperson said, calling the rumours “baseless and misleading.”
With the Supreme Court’s decision, Ghislaine Maxwell has no further avenues of appeal in the US court system, effectively closing one of the final chapters in the long-running Epstein saga.
